Biophysical simulation of wetland surface water flow to predict changing water availability in the Everglades

IF 3.9 2区 环境科学与生态学 Q1 ECOLOGY
Jud W. Harvey , Jay Choi , Walter W. Wilcox , Michael C. Brown , Wasantha Lal
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A central challenge for water managers is to adaptively manage water availability to meet societal needs while simultaneously protecting ecosystems. Progress restoring Everglades wetlands requires simulations of how increased flow can rehydrate and restore functions of downstream wetlands without causing unintended harms. We developed a biophysical flow rate expression (BioFRE) that simulates flow of surface water based on hydraulic theory and measurements of spatially variable vegetation and microtopography. BioFRE simulations of surface flow compared well, without calibration, against independently measured hydrologic data at five locations representing various levels of wetland degradation. To help understand how changing vegetation and microtopography altered historical Everglades flows, we benchmarked BioFRE simulations against previous simulations of historical Everglades hydrology. Results indicated that the surface flow capacity of the Everglades has decreased by approximately half compared to the historical Everglades primarily because of the loss of sparsely vegetated deepwater sloughs. Remaining sloughs are fewer, less well connected, and more densely vegetated, causing increased hydraulic roughness, lower flow capacity, and diminished water storage, habitat value, and drought and flood resilience. We quantified the sensitivity of simulated flows to biophysical variables such as ridge proportion, microtopographic height, vegetation stem density, and slough connectivity, and we assessed their potential value as restoration performance measures. The BioFRE simulation approach can potentially be used in the Everglades and other wetland floodplains to anticipate changing conditions and to help improve management strategies that positively influence surface water storage and habitats while mitigating some negative outcomes of excessive droughts and floods.
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来源期刊
Ecological Engineering
Ecological Engineering 环境科学-工程:环境
CiteScore
8.00
自引率
5.30%
发文量
293
审稿时长
57 days
期刊介绍: Ecological engineering has been defined as the design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and nature. The journal is meant for ecologists who, because of their research interests or occupation, are involved in designing, monitoring, or restoring ecosystems, and can serve as a bridge between ecologists and engineers. Specific topics covered in the journal include: habitat reconstruction; ecotechnology; synthetic ecology; bioengineering; restoration ecology; ecology conservation; ecosystem rehabilitation; stream and river restoration; reclamation ecology; non-renewable resource conservation. Descriptions of specific applications of ecological engineering are acceptable only when situated within context of adding novelty to current research and emphasizing ecosystem restoration. We do not accept purely descriptive reports on ecosystem structures (such as vegetation surveys), purely physical assessment of materials that can be used for ecological restoration, small-model studies carried out in the laboratory or greenhouse with artificial (waste)water or crop studies, or case studies on conventional wastewater treatment and eutrophication that do not offer an ecosystem restoration approach within the paper.
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